Elevators typically include a plurality of buttons that may be activated to thereby allow a passenger to designate a particular floor, open or close the door(s) of the elevator, signal for assistance, etc. With many passengers using any given elevator, and selecting one or more of the buttons, the surface of these buttons are touched many times; and if any of these passengers is a carrier of bacteria, viruses, germs, and/or disease, the next passenger may be exposed to the bacteria, viruses, germs, and/or disease by touching the same button(s). In the field of elevators, it is therefore desirable to provide devices that can minimize the spread of bacteria, viruses, germs, and/or disease. While there may be devices and method that attempt to accomplish this, it is believed that no one prior to the inventor(s) has made or used an invention as described herein.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.